The Gjermundbu mail doesn't have any openings but one shirt isn't a good sample size. We have nowhere near enough examples from that region and time period to determine whether it was typical or not. If you want to tailor it so that it fits really well then it will need an opening of some kind.

I see lots and lots of openings. ;)
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there is, i think, a literary reference saying bolli bollisson (or something) came back from his byzantine service with a maile coat that went down to his knees or even longer...

that may be a byzantine hauberk rather than a viking one though.

Any progress on this project?

Sadly no, I've been relocated for engineering consultant work at another city than my home for the last 7 months now and haven't been able to find a proper crafts workshop to do anything like this at.
But I'm finding myself moved home again by the company i a week or so, maybe I can do more on it then.

Resurrection again of an old thread. I just re-read my old thread from start to finish and decided it's high time to continue building on the existing patch of maille and also try to improve it further.

For starters I'll try to make a single link that looks exactly like the ones in Vegards photos.
The next thing I want to do is draw some wrought iron wire and hammer some to plate to punch.

Hi Johan,

sorry for reviving this old post, but I've followed with great interest your work and found it of huge help.

I'm planning to re-create the figure of a mail maker in the mid-13 century, and I want to prepare a workbench to make some demos at the reenacting weekends I participate with my group.

The mail I want to produce will be of the demi-riveted with round rings and round rivets type, so I will definetly need every tool you've described in this amazing thread. For educational purposes, I want to add the wire drawing step...

What I'd like to ask, if it is the correct place, is how 13th century maille is different from the Gjermundbu described here.

Thanks in advance for any answer.

You might want to do a search on this site for "Tofta", as a mid-13th century coif (demi-riveted, round rivets) was discovered there. C14 AMS was performed on the leather thongs still attached, so the mid-13th century date is confirmed.
http://samla.raa.se/xmlui/bitstream/handle/ra...sequence=1

Of course, this does not mean that all mid-13th century mail appears exactly the same. Likely dated to the destruction from the Mongol Invasion of 1239, we see multiple ring sizes and shapes in a single shop in Gomel, Belarus.

S.U. Kainov, trans. Dmitry V. Ryaboy, Medieval Russian Armour workshop in Gomiy
http://www.oocities.org/kaganate/gomiy.html

Quote:

The fragments of maille fabric contain from 1 to 200 rings, over 600 rings total. Half the fragments has rings with a circular cross-section (wire diameter 1-1.5 mm), half -- with a flat cross-section (1x2; 1-1.5x3; 1x3 mm). The diameter of the rings is 6, 9, and 14 mm. It is certain that many fragments formed different sheets of maille. The mail-making process looks unfinished: there is one ring left unriveted, and several chains of single rings.

Mart, thanks a lot for the info, I'll have a look as soon as I can..

Are there any other 13th century mail evidences to analyze? I'd like to know what are the distinctive features of it, for example the average ring size, the wire gauge, type of rivet, and size and cross section for solid rings.

I assume the tools used by a 13th century mail maker would have been similar to those shown here...

I started making some tools to make mail. By now, I'm working on the riveted rings. I prepared some overlapped rings and annealed them.

I have a pair of questions aboit riveting. First, how much do I need to flatten the overlap? Rings are 6mm ID made with 1.5mm wire...I was thinking to flatten the overlap to get the same thickness as the wire, using only a hammer and anvil. Do you think it is enough..?
Second, I read Johan pierced the hple for the rivet on a soft metal base. At home I have some aluminium which should be fine. But I can not bring aluminum at reenactment events, so I was thinkinh about a plate of lead...it would be soft enough and, as soon as it gets worn, I can melt it and remake the plate...what do you think?

Thanks a lot in advance!

I noticed that almost every image has disappeared from this thread..may I ask why? It would be great to bring them back, they were of huge help..!